Supreme Court Lifts Suppression Order on Identity of Sniper Who Killed Bikie Leader Nick Martin
Introduction
The Supreme Court of Western Australia has lifted a suppression order that previously prevented the media from publishing the name of Benjamin Luke Johnston, the man convicted of murdering former Rebels Motorcycle Club president Nick Martin at the Perth Motorplex in 2020. The order was removed on April 24, 2026, after Johnston requested it.
Main Body
Benjamin Luke Johnston, a 39-year-old former Australian Army reservist and ex-FIFO electrician, pleaded guilty to the murder of Nick Martin. He is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence at an undisclosed high-security facility. The killing occurred on December 12, 2020, at the Kwinana Motorplex. Johnston fired a single shot from a .308-calibre rifle at a distance of 365 meters, striking Martin in the chest. The bullet passed through the victim and hit Martin''s son-in-law, Ricky Chapman, in the arm. Chapman survived the incident but died 16 months later from an unrelated medical condition. Approximately 2,000 people were present at the event. Johnston''s testimony was crucial in the later trial of David James Pye, a former associate of Martin who had switched to the Comancheros Motorcycle Club. Pye was found guilty of planning the murder and encouraging Johnston to kill another rival, Ray Cilli. Johnston testified that Pye offered him $150,000 for the murder of Martin, although he was ultimately paid $100,000. Pye is scheduled for sentencing on May 13, 2026, and his lawyer, Paul Holmes, has stated that he intends to appeal the conviction. In his request to lift the suppression order, Johnston argued that the anonymity order was negatively affecting his life in prison. He claimed that mail was not reaching him, that visitors had difficulty booking appointments, and that the order prevented him from enrolling in a university health and science degree, which required using his legal name. He also stated that he had no fears for his safety, as the prison population already knew who he was. Justice Joseph McGrath, who handled the application, decided that the potential risk to a future retrial was not a strong enough reason to keep the order in place, and he granted the request. Previously hidden details of Johnston''s background have also been released. He served as an artillery gunner in the Australian Army Reserve and started shooting air rifles in his mid-teens. He held a gun license and kept multiple weapons at his home in Waikiki. Johnston worked for the charity Shadows of Hope in Iraq and Kurdistan, where he provided medical training and security advice. He was treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and sought the drug MDMA, which, according to court testimony, led to his first contact with Pye. During Pye''s trial, Johnston described carrying out extensive surveillance on Martin, including using a drone to check the security of Martin''s home and testing his rifle by firing 200 rounds at a target in remote bushland. On the night of the murder, he entered the venue through a hole in a fence, wore camouflage, and waited in a vegetated area for 10 to 15 minutes before firing. Pye''s defense lawyer described Johnston as a pathological and compulsive liar during the trial, pointing out that cross-examination revealed exaggerations and false claims about his past. The defense also argued that no direct evidence, apart from Johnston''s testimony, connected Pye to the murder, and that police recordings of conversations between the two men did not clearly discuss the killing. The prosecution, however, argued that Pye had a clear motive, which came from his move from the Rebels to the Comancheros and a mutual desire for the other''s death. The trial was held without a jury, as the court decided that an impartial jury could not be selected.
Conclusion
The lifting of the suppression order now allows the public to know that Benjamin Luke Johnston is the person who fatally shot Nick Martin. Johnston remains in prison, and David Pye is waiting to be sentenced for his role in the murder, with an appeal of his conviction expected.